Isn't it reassuring that our employees in Washington are from the neighborhood and understand our attitudes and needs?

This is what comes from their careful stewardship of our hard earned money.

And this is how they get it...

From where all blessings flow...

The country that has repeatedly tried to dominate the world and tried to eliminate idk how many different kinds of people produces the majority of the planets medications.

What could possibly go wrong?

A couple of points in the FWIW category.

(i) It came as something of a surprise to me that US exports are only marginally greater than those of the UK.
I assume that the huge domestic market eases the financial pain.

(ii) Switzerland's position was to be expected. There are only so many watches and cuckoo clocks you can export so the money machine that is the pharmaceutical industry is unlikely to fade away.
Decades ago, a Swiss firm* ended up in an almighty battle with the UK government over the rip off that they had perpetrated on the NHS.
My recollection is that they ended up paying back £400 million and this was in the seventies.

*Pretty sure that I remember the name of the company and the drugs that they overcharged for, but as there is scant evidence on the net to confirm my recollection, I'll leave them unnamed here.

but but socialism and no innovation.

Politics Is the New Religion Dep't:

http://cellar.org/2017/pew-partisan1.png

via

Hey UT, I just want to say thank you for including your sources in a footnote.

We don't always agree, but my confidence in your integrity is *complete*.

it's important to me sir, thank you for your confidence

There really are a lot of interesting findings in that poll.

Reasons to be cheerful, part 4:

Black unemployment rate falls to record low.

http://cellar.org/2017/blackunemployment.png

via

27 fascinating maps that show how Americans speak English differently across the US

I'm from Texas, and I thought my dad made this one up:

Coal is bound to come back. :rolleyes:

Voters and not...

Absolutely.

Sooner or much, much, much, much, much later.:cool:

Ha!

Oh for Christs sake, don't nag, I'll get to it. Before noon, on a monday, in October.

It will be interesting to see what the new tax bill will do to charity.

Women do you watch Porn?
http://mashable.com/2018/01/09/porn-.../#vJfJaor90Oqu

Looks like efforts to keep foreigners out is working. :rolleyes:

US lower 48 forest cover and river basins.

All hail the mighty Columbia, and pay our respects to those who have lost their lives to the Graveyard of the Pacific.

In the second image it's astonishing how well defined the Continental Divide is.

More on the subject here: Cellar Link.

Incidentally, a similar image depicting the UK appeared in one of our newspapers about a week ago and I can't find the damn thing!
Dwellars will not be surprised to learn that it isn't anywhere near as impressive as that of the USA.
However, we may be small but we're well made. :)

Yeah we've had that actual river map before, I think.

I like how some rivers don't lead to the ocean.

Great Salt Lake
Salton Sea
And that Rocky Mountain one you linked to.

I thought that river basin or drainage area map was interesting. Looking at the rivers I'm very familiar with, Merrimack, Connecticut, Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, and how the scenery in my head plays out along shapes in that picture.

More vaguely, memories of encounters with distant rivers like Ohio, Mississippi, Rio Grand, Yellowstone, Columbia, spur daydreams that make me wish I was goofing off at work. :lol:

I wish the river map had a bit more detail.

More detail = more bigger. See Geographical survey.

♫ Doomsday is a-comin'
The end is in sight
♪ Doomsday is a-comin'
There's sufferin' tonight
♫ Why don't 'cha hurry hurry hurry home
Why don't 'cha hurry hurry hurry home
♪ Look here! Doomsday is a-comin'
There's dyin’ tonight

After a lifetime of watching those attention-whoring fuckers predict the end of the world, and it not happening, we must now realize that they are exactly as reliable as the Westboro Baptist Church -- and just as scientific.

All the hand-wringing in my lifetime has been a huge waste of mental energy

Human predictions of apocalpyse: 1,000,000,000s

Times it came true: 0

I want my money back

No refunds for believing fakers.

Now here's a chart I can believe in...

Facebook peak noticed

http://cellar.org/2017/fbdown.png

via

Seems legit. I know there is less and less decent content on FB and I check it less frequently.

I removed the link from my bookmarks bar so I don't instinctively go. It has cut down visits to one per day, and I think that is about right

This segregatation simulation is surprisingly fun and interactive.

Vi Hart is amazing.

Clicked through the links; Nicky Case is amazing, too.

Robots per 10,000 workers...

Note: somehow automated countries can afford national healthcare, strange-not strange

http://cellar.org/2017/worldpopulation.png

from Bill and Melinda Gates 2018 Annual Letter

However many billions there are in the world, you can bet that most of them will be in front of me at the checkout in Tesco tomorrow morning. :rolleyes:

Pick the sport that balance out when you eat what you want. :haha:

Sales in North America are predicted to be down this year and deaths here were down last year by 1%. But some states were up, like Texas at 7%.

Puting the time line in a personal perspective...

What am I looking at there?

How does the temp factor in?

Idk what this is.

The black line is the historical record of temperature and the colored section is predicted. They have an interactive site where you can plug in dates of significant things in your life to see how you relate to the change in climate.

I think I overthunk something somewhere.

Thank you.

Angle of trajectory vs distance, obviously for the same everything else.

For the last 10 years the electric consumption hasn't gone up much.

makin' pixels instead of real stuff

US car sales...

I learned something new today. I already knew the creation of the SUV and minivan models in the 80s was in response to the fleet fuel efficiency (CAFE) requirements implemented by the Feds. Those models were exempt from the fuel efficiency requirements because they were classified as trucks, not passenger cars. I assumed the crossover vehicles were also considered trucks. But I just looked it up and found I was wrong. The crossover vehicles are considered passenger cars, and must meet the fuel efficiency requirements. So I have no idea why they are so popular other than people just like them.

Wikipedia CAFE sub-entry on SUVs and Minivans.

People need minivans, but don't want to have minivans.

Exactly, minivans replaced the station wagon because the were so practical but they soon acquired the "soccer-mom" stigma becoming uncool. So people bought SUVs to be cool, but they were not as convenient or comfortable so the crossovers were created.

Wull I need to haul my bass and band gear, and be just a little less jarred by the urban minefield, and I like to do that while still getting 25 MPG.

The minivan was perfect for that, the successor to the VW bus with or without Jesus.

The ideal shape of a vehicle is the van. Anything less and you are not maximizing storage area on the wheel base.

In some instances, construction for example, a standard truck is desired for accessibility and storage of irregular-shaped objects. However, the van has the advantage of securing your storage from the elements, as well as *anyone being able to just walk up and take things*

My 13th birthday I had a party after school and my mother picked up a dozen kids in a pickup truck. That's a big no-no these days, that now requires a van.